October 23, 2011

The newest addition to my Apple family of products:  an orange iPod Shuffle.  As with many things I own, he has a name: Mack.  I've been thinking about getting one for a while, as my iPhone is a bit bulky and runs through battery faster than necessary.  With Cactus Rose and many hours of running ahead of me this weekend, the need to decide either way was upon me.  Unfortunately, Brutus decided to act up and landed himself at the shop for the weekend, basically requiring me to set my wallet on fire.  I let my thoughts of an iPod Shuffle fade away, although I remained wistful, envisioning myself traipsing around the wilderness of Bandera with a snazzy orange iPod Shuffle.  My resignation was a bit premature, however.  Despite being an ardent anti-Apple consumer, in an act of super sweetness, and also slightly on the premise of saving me some unnecessarily expended calories while running for hours on end, Ben bought me my newest running tool.  Just like the Barney sandals my parents got me when I was little, it will be difficult to get me to take this accessory off for the foreseeable future!  

October 22, 2011

Should I happen to purchase a pumpkin around this time of year, I tend to develop a strange and largely irrational affection for said pumpkin.  My excitement to carve pumpkins grows until the moment arrives, at which point I quickly become bored and I end up with a rather generically carved pumpkin.  This year, I named my pumpkin "Steve."  Steve was a perfectly plump pumpkin, with a slight lean to his posture, allowing him to look up at passersby with his creepy grin.  Thankfully, my interest in carving did not wane as quickly as usual; thus, Steve was graced with spooky eyes, a flame nose, and curled smile.  If I can compliment my own work, I must say this is the best pumpkin I've ever carved. 

October 21, 2011

For the past few Fridays in a row, I've been glued to my bed working on my seminar paper.  I'd be in my pajamas with a cup of cinnamon tea, a bowl of granola and yogurt in my stomach, and some classical tunes playing softly; in short, I was in the zone.  When I'm in said zone, I almost always skip lunch.  I have just one more thought to get on paper; one more article to read; one more citation to fix.  Before I know it, the clock ticks over to 5 p.m. and I realize my stomach is screaming at me.  As I start to clean up the damage I've done from sifting through papers, thumbing through books, and the like, I realize I'm much too light headed, my throat is much too dry, and I'm ready for my weekend to begin.  This Friday, although I was working on my seminar paper, there was little work to be done and I was finished in time for a late lunch.  Taking advantage of the broken trend, I took my time over a sandwich and smoked mozzarella pasta salad at Whole Foods, enjoying the sun, breeze, and fantastic people watching.  A lovely Friday!

October 20, 2011

This statement may not be true for most men, but I think women sometimes just need a good tear jerking movie.  When I saw the preview for 50/50, I knew this was the movie for the occasion.  Because there were no late showings at the Alamo, we put off a three mile run until later in the evening to catch the movie and eat some dinner.  Despite the commentary coming from a table over my left shoulder ("You tell her!  Way to go!"), the movie was incredible; one of those where you find yourself nodding your head in answer to a character's question; or leaning forward in your seat with your mouth hanging open; or, as in my case, tears suddenly falling out of your eyes as if a waterfall.  All of the acting was incredible; although the message was typical, it was still a strong one; and the delivery of the entire story was spot on.  I'll definitely be buying this one on DVD, just for those days when a girl needs a good cry! 

October 19, 2011

With a busy finals season, and a busier summer for everyone, my visits with Kyle, Brittany, and Campbell have fallen off quite a bit in the past few months.  So when the opportunity came to spend the night at their house so I could take them to the airport on Thursdays morning, I jumped on the opportunity.  We always have a good time, even just hanging out on the couch.  Brittany and I caught up on our girl talk; Kyle argued with his iPad and tried to convince us looking like Aaron Rodgers was a good thing; and Campbell was a sweetheart.  However, after watching an episode of FX's American Horror Story, it was a tad difficult falling asleep in the living room, surrounded by windows, with the wind causing the leaves to rustle ominously, and a 4 a.m. wake up call.  All in all, worth it!